In 1837, Amos Rogers and Julius Spencer formed a partnership to manufacture farm machinery. In the early 1850s, the two men accepted a contract to produce revolvers for the United States Army. The revolver, a self-cocking, six-shot revolver with an enclosed hammer, was found to be insufficient for use by the military. The contract for 5,000 examples was terminated.

In 1864, Rogers & Spencer released a new revolver based on the old Pettengill patent called the Rogers & Spencer Army revolver. The new design featured an external hammer and single-action lock based on the Freeman patent. As a result of these changes, Rogers & Spencer developed one of the most prolific black-powder revolvers in firearms history.

On November 29, 1864, Rogers & Spencer received a military contract to arm Union soldiers fighting the American Civil War. Unfortunately, the military didn’t foresee the war ending during the late spring of 1865. The order was set to be fulfilled by September of 1865. Rogers & Spencer held up their end of the contract, and the men delivered the last 500 Army revolvers of the order in September of 1865.

Before accepting the Union Army’s military contract, Rogers & Spencer had already manufactured approximately 800 examples of the Army revolver. The military contract was for the production of 5,000 revolvers. Because the war had ended, most of the revolvers manufactured for the war effort were placed in storage, remaining there for nearly fifty years.

In 1901, the Francis Bannerman Company purchased the Rogers & Spencer Army revolvers as military surplus. The entire lot of 5,000 guns was purchased for twenty-five cents per unit, and they were offered for sale in the civilian market. Because the revolvers were in storage for so long before their sale to the public, many of them are in near-mint condition. Those not in mint condition are typically still in good working order.

All Rogers & Spencer Army revolvers are chambered for a .44-cal ball projectile and primed with a percussion cap. They were manufactured with a heavy frame based on the Pettengill revolver. The Rogers & Spencer Army revolver is equipped with a seven-and-one-half-inch-long octagonal barrel with a fixed front sight. The Rogers & Spencer Army revolver is stamped with “ROGERS & SPENCER / UTICA N•Y” on the top of the frame

The Rogers & Spencer Company mark is the company’s name rendered in capital letters in a serif font.